Ambassador Holland condemns Russia's continued attacks against
Ukrainian civilians, which are not actions of a government
seeking peace, and calls for no effort to be spared in bringing
about the release of the three OSCE staff members.
"Thank you, Mister Chair. In recent days, Russia has intensified
attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. On Friday night,
Russia struck apartment buildings and other targets in Kyiv, in
one of the largest attacks since the start of its illegal
invasion. Only 24 hours later, Kyiv was struck again in an even
larger strike. Across Ukraine, 12 civilians were killed on
Saturday night, including three siblings in Zhytomyr, aged 8, 12
and 17. More innocent lives denied by Russia's senseless war.
President Putin's claim that he is ready for peace is not borne
out by his actions. In the more than two months since Ukraine
agreed, in-principle, to the US proposal for a full,
unconditional 30-day ceasefire, President Putin has continued to
dither and delay. He announced two unilateral, three-day ‘pauses'
during which his armed forces continued to target Ukrainian
cities. And he ignored the opportunity for substantive talks in
Istanbul, instead sending a delegation with no real mandate to
negotiate.
In contrast, President Zelenskyy demonstrated real leadership by
expressing readiness to engage at the leaders' level, even as
President Putin refused a ceasefire that would create the space
for talks.
The Russian State has shown time and time again that its actions
are not those of a government seeking peace. And while we welcome
the recent prisoner swaps, Russia's failure to agree to an
immediate and unconditional ceasefire – as Ukraine has done – is
holding up further humanitarian outcomes, including the return of
Ukrainian children it has forcibly displaced. These outcomes are
critical to achieving a peace that is just and lasting.
Mr Chair, it is not ‘anti-Russian' to call for an end to the
devastation and loss of life in Ukraine. Doing so is to stand up
for the principles set out in the Helsinki Final Act, and to
adhere to international law, including the UN Charter. Delaying
peace efforts will only redouble our resolve to help Ukraine in
its defence. And we will continue working with our partners to
ratchet up pressure on President Putin to end his war.
Mister Chair, it is with great regret that I must again raise the
cases of Vadym Golda, Maxim Petrov, and Dmytro Shabanov. All
three were members of the Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
They have been unlawfully deprived of their liberty for more than
three years by the Russian Federation and its proxies in Ukraine.
Their continued detention is a grave injustice and a flagrant
violation of international law and the Helsinki Final Act.
These individuals were carrying out a mission mandated by every
participating State in this room – including Russia. The UK urges
all parties to leave no stone unturned in securing their
immediate release. Our thoughts remain with them and their
families.
Thank you, Mister Chair."
